"Want to join us? You're a smart guy—you should know the right choice."
As the man spoke, he gestured to the surrounding ninja and samurai. The implication was clear.
"There are quite a few of you," Sora nodded indifferently, then added, "If you want me to join, shouldn't you at least introduce yourself?"
"Hahaha," the man chuckled, not at all bothered by Sora's probing. "What, blew up one of our cash exchange stations a few days ago and now you don't recognize us?"
He knew Sora was fishing for information, but with so many people here, could Sora really escape?
With those words, Sora instantly understood—they were from the exchange station, here for revenge.
Their strength was no joke—three Jōnin, a samurai on the level of an elite Jōnin, and one mysterious figure whose strength was unreadable.
Were these all the forces the exchange station could muster?
Sora still wanted to probe further, but the enemy wasn't about to give him another chance.
"Join us now, or die!"
The man grinned wide. Since there was no more info to gain, it was time to start fighting.
"Water Style – Super Exploding Water Wave!"
Sora's hands, already behind his back, suddenly spun through hand seals. A violent tidal wave surged forth toward the enemy.
He had been secretly weaving signs the whole time he was talking.
Sora had discovered a hidden system perk—his hand seals caused no chakra fluctuation. If no one saw his hands, they wouldn't realize he was preparing a jutsu.
"Secret Art – Swallow Return!"
"Demonic Art – Shikigami!"
"Earth Style – Earth Flow Rampart!"
Three voices rang out in quick succession. The strongest ninja and the elite samurai both counterattacked simultaneously.
Sora's water wave was completely dispelled by two attacks and one barrier—dealing no damage.
But the moment the wave crashed forward, Sora was already preparing his Tailed Beast Bomb.
As the sphere grew larger, his expression darkened. Not only was his chakra nearly depleted, but that strangely dressed man… he was an onmyōji!
Onmyōji had a long history—older than the ninja themselves.
Only after the Sage of Six Paths founded Ninshū did the onmyōji begin to fade into legend.
Becoming an onmyōji was extremely difficult, but they were no weaker than ninja—and far more unpredictable.
Just looking at the blue-faced, fang-toothed spirit floating beside that man gave Sora the chills.
Had he not seen the Reaper in the original story, he might have thought this was it.
"Tailed Beast Bomb!"
As the water wave shattered, the basketball-sized sphere shot forward with massive force.
That Tailed Beast Bomb had drained 2,000 points of Sora's chakra. After unleashing it, he had barely 100 chakra left in his body.
"Shikigami – Teleportation!"
"Secret Art – Single Slash Kill!"
"Body Flicker Technique!"
…
The moment the bomb launched, panic swept through the enemy. None had expected Sora to have such a trump card.
The onmyōji's shikigami teleported him out of range, and the two Jōnin vanished with Body Flicker.
The elite samurai was blindingly fast—on par with a Jōnin's speed.
Rumble…!
Only after the four escaped the blast zone did the Tailed Beast Bomb strike.
A deafening explosion followed. Not even a scream was left—everyone within range was completely obliterated.
All that remained was a massive crater dozens of meters wide, a terrifying sight.
The four survivors looked grim. What they had thought was a simple mission had resulted in mass casualties—completely unacceptable.
"Kill him! Kill him now!"
The onmyōji's face twisted with fury, voice turning sharp with rage.
"Tsunade! Jiraiya! If you two don't step in, I'm done for!"
Seeing the four charging at him, Sora didn't panic, even though he barely had enough chakra left to cast a Great Fireball.
With all the noise earlier, Tsunade would surely be rushing over.
And as for Jiraiya—Sora had caught a glimpse of some white hair on the inn's rooftop during the battle.
"Wild Lion's Mane Technique!"
"Heaven-Smashing Kick!"
Boom! Boom!
The two of them were indeed S-Class legends. With a single move, Jiraiya bound a Jōnin in his hair and strangled him to death.
Tsunade, due to her hemophobia, didn't attack lethally. Instead, she just delivered a kick that left her target unable to stand, then immediately moved to Sora's side and turned away.
"Jiraiya, he's all yours!"
Before Jiraiya could say anything, Tsunade had already divided the roles. She and Sora would leave—the enemies were his problem now.
The rest didn't need much explanation. A lone samurai and an onmyōji were no match for Jiraiya.
In under five minutes, he had taken care of both and tracked down Tsunade and Sora again.
The only reason it took that long was the onmyōji's tricky abilities—otherwise it would've been over even faster.
"Tsunade, long time no see," Jiraiya greeted her, then turned to Sora. "And who are you, kid? How'd you end up pissing off the exchange station?"
As expected of Jiraiya—he had identified the organization with just a glance. Sora was impressed but still gave an honest answer.
They chatted while walking and soon returned to the inn. That was when Shizune finally came running out.
"Sora, you're amazing! You wiped out over twenty of them—only four were left, and some of them were Jōnin!"
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at Sora with admiration, her cute face filled with awe.
She was already thirteen and only a Chūnin, while Sora was just six—and already this strong. It was incredible!
Even Jiraiya and Tsunade looked shocked.
When they arrived, it was just in time to see Sora cast the water wave. They hadn't seen the earlier fight.
They had assumed he only blew up a bunch of small fry—not that he'd already taken down a Jōnin.
"You're really six? Not like... fifty or something and just stuck looking young?"
Jiraiya stared at him, dazed, his thoughts spiraling.
Tsunade didn't speak, but her astonished gaze made Sora uncomfortable. He was ready to make a quick exit.
There were still several dropped cards at the battlefield—he had no time for chatting.
"Big Sis Tsunade, Old Man Jiraiya—I'll be right back!"
With that, Sora vanished using one last Body Flicker.
As soon as he was gone, Jiraiya turned black and white, his head slowly creaking around to look at Tsunade.
"Tsunade… do I really look that old?"
Being called an old man was a heavy blow to someone in his prime—like taking a Tailed Beast Bomb straight to the heart.
After parting ways, Sora returned to the battlefield, now cleared of bodies.
Even the massive crater had been filled—likely Jiraiya's Earth Style at work.
But the glowing cards were still there.
One of them had dropped when Tsunade kicked her opponent. Sora didn't know whether it was Heaven-Smashing Kick or Senju Constitution—
But either way, he could hardly wait to find out.